Wild chase after drug buy ends in East Kelowna Orchard

A 39-year-old Kelowna man is in custody after leading police on a wild chase, smashing up cruisers and fighting with cops Monday evening.

Around 9 p.m., plainclothes officers from the Kelowna RCMP Property Crime Unit and Target Teams were working in the downtown core when they noticed a man known to be a prolific offender picking up a known sex trade worker and making what appeared to be a drug buy.

The man had been circling the area for some time before the transaction occurred, and his behaviour had already caught the officers’ attention.

Although deemed a prolific offender, the suspect was not necessarily known for having a propensity towards any one particular offence, but he had been seen driving dangerously and erratically prior to the buy.

With this in mind, the police officers followed him out of the downtown core, opting to air on the side of caution by letting him leave the more populated area. Their plain clothes attire would make an arrest more difficult, Cnst. Kris Clark said in interview Tuesday afternoon.

With the woman in the car, he then proceeded to East Kelowna, driving extremely erratically and nearly causing multiple collisions as he drove through red lights and past stop signs without stopping.

The man fled from the stop and was pursued into a nearby orchard in East Kelowna. During his flight, the man damaged three unmarked police vehicles, including one by reversing into the front end.

A struggle ensued and he was Tazered as he was arrested, receiving medical attention afterwards.

He remains in custody facing multiple charges including Dangerous Operation Of A Motor Vehicle, Flight From Peace Officer, Fail To Remain at the Scene of an Accident, Assault Peace Officer x 3 and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He is expected to appear in Court later today (Tuesday).